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Clow Reed
Clow Reed (クロウ・リード, Kurō Rīdo) was known as the greatest master of Martial Arts Calligraphy of all time, drawing inspiration from both his half-European, half-Chinese heritage. He is the creator of the Clow Cards (also referred to as "The Clow"), a series of cards resembling tarot cards with various magical powers within them. Additionally, he is the creator of Card's two guardians Yue and Cerberus. Background Very little was known about Clow Reed and his past. He was born of a Chinese mother and an English father. His father was a powerful Sorcerer while his mother was from the Li clan one of the Houses of the Twelve Guardians and, because of the combination of western magic with Martial Arts Calligraphy, Clow grew to become the greatest and most powerful practitioner the world has ever known. His masterpiece was the Clow Cards: a series of tarot-card-resembling cards that blended both Eastern and Western magical elements, each of which possessed tremendous powers. He also created the Shikigami Yue and Cerberus, whom he assigned to protect the Clow Cards and ensure that they are passed on properly to their new master(s). Syaoran Li is a distant relative of Clow, as Clow's mother's family is the Li Clan, it is likely that over the course of centuries of his life, Clow Reed may have fathered children, one at least of which had gone-on to marry back into the Li clan (Clow Reed's mother's family). Very little of Clow's personal life is known, although Kero often references his liking for playing practical jokes, and his constant smiles indicate that he was a content and mischievous person. Yuuko Ichihara once referred to him as a 'creep' and a 'tricky man in glasses'. There are also some hints, that Clow and his creation Yue had a connection that went deeper than Master and creation. Magical Background Sorcery is a school of magic that centers around channeling Mana, a natural force that exists everywhere, it can be molded by those who are trained or have a natural gift. Early on an implement and/or words might be needed, but these have no real power of their own but are used to reinforce the user's will. They become a Focus upon which the practitioner of Sorcery can concentrate their thoughts when forming a spell. As the practitioner gets better they no longer need the Focus and are able to instantly cast spells simply by sheer will alone. Magical items can still be made using Sorcery. The Sorcerer/Sorceress channels their will into an items and draws or carves various geometric shapes onto the item. These are the Sacred Geometric Shapes which govern the universe. Using the Sacred Geometric Shapes on the item forces the magical energy in the item to retain the will of the one who crafted it. These same shapes can also be used to draw more energy into the item so it doesn't have to be recharged with more energy by the user. Sorcery is not an easy school of magic to master. It requires a strong will or a natural gift to directly channel Mana in such a way. It’s the most flexible school of magic because it’s not dependent upon fixed spells, but allowing the practitioner to mold the energy in any way they choose by sheer will alone. This makes Sorcery the most powerful of all of the schools of magic. The Li style of Martial Arts Calligraphy was based off of Houriki or Buddhist magic a form of “clerical” magic. It is the knowledge, and understanding of the flow of energy; both intellectually and intuitively. The ability to discern the flow of this energy as it changes from one form to the next, how it is aligned, when it aligns, and in what conditions its alignment or flow will change grant the monk the ability to act on this knowledge to manipulate, even change the flow entirely. Knowing how to channel one's energy and to understand its flow is paramount. Monks are able to discern not only how the energy is flowing and its unique qualities, but change it as they see fit. This allows them to alter the very framework of their spells, not just their effect, but their shape and form, their very manifestation. Houriki is not something that one can obtain through purity and virtue. Instead the power seems to come from the innate strength of one’s tamashii or soul. Clow Reed, was able to combine occidental and oriental magic to create a new style of Martial Arts Calligraphy which ultimately led to the creation of the Clow Cards. Like his later successor, Sakura, Clow's style deals with the channeling of Mana and the inner energies of the spirit in perfect balance, which is depicted in the Yin and Yang symbol. Powers and Abilities The extent of Clow's magical powers have been mostly referenced by others. However, it seems that his powers were incredibly vast. His powers earned him the title of the greatest magician. Descended from two powerful clans of magic users, Clow Reed was able to combine the bodies of magical learning of both his families, to create a new body of magic. Unfortunately he fell into the same problem as Yakou Utada in that the balance of Clow Reed's art is tipped in favour of Yang over Yin. As shown by his Majestic Emperor Charm (壮大皇帝厳 父, Soudaiouteigenpu), the design of the circle is dominated by the sun and the moon symbols; the Sun representing 'Yang' (陽), and the Moon representing 'Yin' (陰). The arrangement of the Sun and the Moon in the circle highlights the nature of the imbalance; the Sun takes centre-stage, while the Moon is pushed to the side. While he didn’t let it corrupt him like the Utada School founder his magic was still imbalanced in its nature; which is why the seal never passed on to a successor. That is until Sakura Kinomoto succeeded to recreating all of the Clow Cards as Sakura Cards. In contrast Sakura’s star takes centre-stage, holding the Sun and the Moon in place, the Yin and Yang in her magic kept in balance that Clow Reed's had lacked. The reason Sakura is able to inherit the seal in the first place was because his imbalanced nature effected his soul as well causing it to be divided between two reincarnations Prophetic Dreams: Clow possesses the powers of a Dream Seer, allowing him to peer beyond the boundaries of dream, form, thought and time and see many things which are hidden from the likes of ordinary men. Hence how he had managed to foresee Sakura collecting the Clow Cards, making him create a Sealing Wand of the color pink for Sakura being a girl. Sealing Magic: As befitting of a Martial Arts Calligraphy practitioner he possessed the great power to seal and imprison other magical beings. Power & Ability Amplification: He had the power to further increase the strength and magical abilities of those around him to even greater power-levels. Rebirth: Unlike regular humans Clow’s vast spiritual training allowed him to retain his memories as he reincarnates. While he still has to relearn and regain his abilities and knowledge with each new incarnation, he retains in essence the fundamental being that he originally was. Category:Li Family